B.C.'s health minister says he's "appalled" at reports an unlicensed Vancouver "natural health doctor" is charging top dollar from patients for a so-called cancer cure.

Kevin Falcon called on the regulatory body responsible for policing medical doctors to step up to the plate and determine if they need to launch an investigation after CTV News uncovered someone peddling herbal pills to cure cancer for up to $2,000 a month.

"When I see a story like this I am extremely troubled," he told CTV News. "I am appalled that people would take advantage of those in desperate situations."

Despite protestations by the College of Physicians and Surgeons that it only regulates medical doctors, Falcon told CTV News that the College has a more general responsibility of policing everyone who practices medicine.

"The College of Physicians and Surgeons has the power," he said. "I will have my staff follow up to make sure the College is following through."

Before the minister's intervention, the College of Physicians and Surgeons had insisted to CTV News that they had no jurisdiction in the case. In an email to CTV News after the minister had spoken, a representative confirmed they would "now be reviewing the matter."

"Since the alleged scope of practice in this situation appears to cross several health disciplines, we will also involve other health regulatory authorities…and possibly law enforcement agencies as well," Prins wrote.

CTV News accompanied a skin cancer patient into the office of Dr. Grace Tseng with a hidden camera. Once inside, the self-described "natural health doctor" probed her ear with a soft needle, warned her against eating chicken, and then laid out a price structure that ranged from $550 to $2,000 a month for herbal pills.

She also showed the patient a stack of pictures of patients whose medical ailments were apparently cured by her medicine.

One patient complained to the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, which regulates some facets of alternative medicine. After an investigation, the college's registrar, Mary Watterson, concluded that Tseng was not violating their bylaws.

"They're not regulated, they're not answerable to any regulatory body, and the public is at risk," she told CTV News.

When CTV News first contacted the College of Physicians and Surgeons, they too told us they had no power.

The College is only responsible for medical doctors, representative Susan Prins told a producer, and as Grace Tseng only has a "Natural Health Doctor" licence from a Burnaby college, there's nothing they can do.

B.C.'s health minister says the College actually can ask for search warrants and ask for an injunction to stop any practitioner they believe is unlicensed.

"The College of Physicians has the power to go to an unlicensed practitioner who is making false claims and drive them out of business," he said.

The law seems to back him up: in the regulations in the Health Professions Act, the College of Physicians and Surgeons is responsible for regulating its members -- and anyone else who practices medicine.

The minister's staff contacted the College of Physicians and reminded them of the law. It was only after that the college promised a review.

CTV News also contacted the federal Competition Bureau, whose mandate is to preserve a fair marketplace -- part of that is to investigate what appear to be false claims. A spokesperson said the case might fall in their jurisdiction as well, but that no one had made a complaint.

Falcon said patients also need to be careful before they fork out cash to someone whose claims appear to be too good to be true.

"Use your common sense and good judgment," he said.

For a list of regulated health professionals, visit the B.C. Health Ministry website.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Jon Woodward and Mi-Jung Lee